Lunch Break: What You Need To Know About Getting A Job This Week

As we settle into summer, the big question is: What is the jobs outlook? The most recent reports from the National Association for Business Economics offer wildly different conclusions. There isn't even a consensus on whether the jobs outlook is bleak. But there are some valuable tips and insights that can help any job seeker. Below are the top reads:

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First, The Bad News: A Drop In Hiring
A new survey released Monday from the widely cited National Association for Business Economics found that only 23 percent of firms plan to add workers in the next six months. The figure stood at 39 percent in June. Sixty-seven NABE firms took part in the survey, about half of which have more than 1,000 employees.

But One Reason To Be Hopeful
A report by The New York Times noted a "broad range of experts and forecasters" who "expect the economy" and the jobs situation "to improve slightly in coming months." Their reasoning is tied to a number of factors, including lower oil prices and hopeful developments in the housing and auto sectors.

Time For A 'Jobs Draft'?
Noted military analyst Thomas Ricks penned an editorial in the New York Times calling for the reinstatement of the draft. But unlike conscriptions of eras past, Ricks said that Americans should also be able to fulfill their national service requirement by "teaching in low-income areas, cleaning parks, rebuilding crumbling infrastructure or aiding the elderly." The piece sparked a spirited public debate, including opposition from conservative author and columnist Max Boot, who discussed in Commentary Americans' "intensely individualistic" nature and impulse to "resist forced labor."

Services Sector: One Bright Spot In The Economy
A study conducted by USA Today and based on Labor Department data found that 70 percent of service jobs lost after the recession's end have returned, while the same is true for only 15 percent of jobs lost in manufacturing and construction, among other goods-producing sectors. The failure of the manufacturing and construction sectors to add as many jobs as services have was chalked up to jobs moving overseas, and the continuing housing woes.

Our Favorite Time-Wasting Poll Of The Week
A survey released by New York-based global workforce consultancy Kelly Services found that 59 percent of workers said that mixing personal and professional connections through social media can cause problems in the workplace. Not surprisingly, younger workers were consistently more comfortable with social media spilling into work. This of course suggests that however much the media might make people feel uncomfortable, social media isn't going away anytime soon. The poll was conducted among 170,000 people, from the U.S. to Australia.

See any big story we missed? Tell us about it below in the comments section.

The Office Professional is running a great series this week on what actual workers do on their lunch breaks to rejuvenate. From playing the bagpipes to eating in a cemetery, some are quite interesting!